Emerald Guitar Finish Quality

HotTinRoof · #1 07-22-2019, 05:36 PM

Have been lerking for a few weeks reading up on Emerald guitars here. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.

One thing is still sticking with me a bit and its in regards to their finish.

On the Emerald website the guitars are very evenly lit, I suspect with either indirect light or soft light boxes, however in the non-Emerald videos I've seen (not professionally lit) they appear to be almost mirror reflective.

How are they holding up for you with regards to scratching, swirling? - the CF must be pretty impervious to dents and dings?

If you at all have the time and the photos available I would love to see some this is how my guitar looks now after X years.

And for those of you who purchased the Artisan Series with the simple CF weave, are you happy with how it's held up or do you wish you would have ordered a veneer top or crystal ice back and sides?

My inquiry here stems from that I am looking at ordering one for all of the humidity and heat resistant benefits, I live in Florida and want to play outside without worry - however I'm concerned if they tend to collect scratches?

Thank you in advance

jdinco · #2 07-22-2019, 05:48 PM

I've had my X20 2 years and my X7 about 1 year. The X20 has the crystal ice b/s, the X7 is all gloss. The finish on them is still perfect, I do take the X7 camping and on road trips, and I play both outside here at the house. We don't have your humidity, but do have the heat. From my experience I would have no concerns about the finish on an Emerald. Mine polish nicely and have no pick scratches. Granted, I don't do any windmill strumming, but I do play with a pick. I think the finish is as tough as they come. I can add that the red finish does sound better than the blue. Hope that helps a little.

Best of luck.

It will be interesting to see if anyone has any kind of damage from normal wear. Hard to imagine they do. Good question. And welcome to the Forum !!

#3 07-22-2019, 05:58 PM

As jdinco points out, it depends on how you play. I do a lot of brushing and tapping and eventually I see slight swirls in the finish. They rub out easily, but I've taken to Stu/Mac and the super thin and clear Mylar guard. No worries here.

steelvibe · #4 07-22-2019, 06:00 PM

Both my guitars now have matte finishes but for guitars with polyurethane (like Emerald), I've use Eterna Shine with great results. I had a RainSong for 4 years of heavy play and Eterna Shine took swirl marks and even a deep, 3" finish scratch out. Yes, the deep scratch required patience and elbow grease but the guitar looked like new when I was done. It was quite remarkable and I recommend without reservation. A little goes a long way, and welcome to the forum!

https://www.guitarscratchremover.com/

Captain Jim · #5 07-22-2019, 06:02 PM

My Emeralds are each different: the X7 was first, and is an Opus (no longer available) which has a glossy top and crystal ice back and sides. All black CF weave. The guitar is several years old, has traveled coast to coast to coast with us, and still looks like new. No swirls in the glossy top, no marks in the crystal ice back and sides.

Second Emerald in is an X20 Select Series, has a louro preto veneer top, all glossy, all surfaces. Has seen plenty of use, still looks like new. No swirls in any of the surfaces.

Third Emerald in is an X10 Artisan, red CF weave, glossy top, crystal ice back and sides. I have had this one less than a year, but it has gotten more play than the others during that time. Also looks like new, with no swirls in the glossy top and no marks on the crystal ice back and sides.

We live in a humid climate (south Texas, much like south Florida), and these guitars are great for that. Even better - you can go from that climate to an arid desert climate, and the guitar doesn't care; still looks, plays, and sounds great.

In regards to the Emerald photos: yes, they are putting a lot of light on the guitar to bright out every detail. The louro preto in person is more subdued. The black CF weave, is pretty much just the way they photograph it. The red CF weave is darker in typical room light, but is a gorgeous red with more light; I do like the way this looks! I requested a bit more black shading at the edges, and it came out just as I had hoped. While the all gloss on my X20 is great looking, I do like the look of the gloss top and crystal ice back and sides on the all CF weave guitars. That was used on the lesser expensive Opus series when they offered that, but I think it adds an interesting change of texture.

I make it a point to wipe down my guitar(s) after each session, using a micro-fiber cloth. I see nothing in the finish that shows any sign of wear or swirl.

David Eastwood · #6 07-22-2019, 06:09 PM

I got my x20 in October last year.

I don't play with a pick. I do rest my little finger (pinky, for the colonists among us) on the top when I play.

The only blemish I can find on mine is fingerprints - which are easily cleaned off with a microfibre cloth (and a little water, if they are especially grungy.)

Looks good as new to me!

mot · #7 07-22-2019, 07:27 PM

I have mostly pick marks and finger prints on my 2013 red X20 Opus with somewhat over 2000 hours of use. I have a foggy spot where a pick plate would be and a scratch on the neck, but everything else wipes off with a t-shirt. Alistair pointed to some polish that will take care of the swirls, so I'm pretty sure I can get it pretty close to its original brand-new look if needed.

The X20 might soon be getting less playing time because I have something on order that might become my primary guitar. We'll see. I have gotten several instruments since the X20 and the X20's still the go-to guitar. I bought it to be a beater and have since let go or stored my previous wood guitars. The new one coming is a custom, so I don't know which will come out on top.

mountainmaster · #8 07-23-2019, 04:15 AM

I am not sure how resistent CF is to dents and dings but, as pointed out by steelvibe, Emeralds do have a finish layer which makes them just as susceptible to scratches as any other guitar with a similar finish.

Regarding my X7, I don't play with a pick and apart from the temporary fingerprints its top and sides are pristine.
On the back there is some buckle rash which is only visible in bright light at certain angles. Interestingly the perceived "glowing" of the CF weave mostly obscures it!

Earl49 · #9 07-23-2019, 12:35 PM

Short answer: unless you put a lot of pick marks on the top during normal play, there is little to worry about. The gloss clear coat finish is pretty tough. And a clear pick guard from Stew Mac would protect it very well. A veneer top might make swirls a bit harder to see, but it likely won't be much of a problem either way. There is some 3D depth to the exposed CF weave too if you don't choose a veneer.

My oldest Emerald is from 2016 and came to me used. You would be hard pressed to tell it from brand new. The previous owner (a member here) plays almost 100% fingerstyle, and I strum about 25% of the time, but with good pick technique. I don't get pick marks on the tops of my guitars. My Rainsong WS-1000 from 2001 has virtually no marks either after 18 years of significant play. It has a clear vinyl pick guard that I put on after year two, mostly for when I let others try it out. That pick guard has a few minor swirls in it, but can easily be replaced any time.

HotTinRoof · #10 07-24-2019, 06:50 PM

Thank you guys

Placed my order today for a Black Carbon X20 Artisan w/ pinless bridge and shotted headstock.

mot · #11 07-24-2019, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HotTinRoof

Thank you guys

Placed my order today for a Black Carbon X20 Artisan w/ pinless bridge and shotted headstock.

Nice. I want to see pictures. I love the slotted headstock.

HotTinRoof · #12 07-24-2019, 07:04 PM

I'll be sure to post pics when it arrives.

Has anybody received any pics of their guitar being built? Would be cool although I couldn't find any manufacturing images - guess it's pretty tight lipped and secret to keep things proprietary.

Earl49 · #13 07-25-2019, 08:24 AM

Nope - I've never heard of any "in progress" photos. Those who order veneer tops get to approve the veneer and options for the layout, but for a stock guitar you get the flash drive with studio photos long with the guitar. A friend who visited the factory last year was asked by Alistair not to take pictures, but was given a full tour and saw all the build steps.